Disk-blank-feed mechanism.



,1. A. GRAY. DISK BL-ANK FEED MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, I914.

l 11 9f,@?., Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I J. A. GRAY DiS-K BLANK FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1914 mamas v R m.

ATORNEY ilieoel plan JA'DD'JS A GRAY, OF 3A1? IFRBLNCIJTECD, JALTUEOENIA. ASSIG-NUIG, TO AMERICAN CAN GGMPANY, (3 F 3A1?! :E'RANCISCG, GliLIEIIC Iel l'XIL COEFOLRATIQN OF 5 Application 'l'llLfLl April 16, 13314.

Be ii; known :filmt l, 51mins A. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful l inpl'oi-ements in :Disl Blank-- Fee-cl li iieelienisni, of which izhe following; is a specification,

The present invention ielnies to controlled means for removing successively from :2 suitably disposed holder, (lisk blanks for delivery to mechanism for the eutei therefrom of an annulus or ring liner I 5? seem ing to the flange of :i can end or cover, the objeei being: to eiiicienily and expecliliously actueie suction means for extracting; from Within the holder the lowermost lie-k of a steel; disks e; mined therei" and to eenmy and deliver illQ removed disk in suit-'- eble means for discharging the same to mechanism for eutting tlie ring liner therefrom.

To comprehend the inventiom reference should be lied to the accompanying sneets of drawings, Wli.e1eii1- igure l is a side elevation, PM: semiomil View a of the improved feed mechanism, (lisclosing the means for actuating the iespeo tive Working parts thereof, and illustrating the rum?! for conveying; removed (lisii' blanks to 'bhe cutting mechanism a l ig. 2 is a leiigitudinal sectional View taken through the {Q66 mechanism, showing the disk blanks in position and the sucker arm .positioneil the removal oi. the lowermost blank: from the stack of blanks com'zaineal Within the skier, sectional Vii-3V gaken on line i i- 3 of Fig. 9 of the dimea viewed in the (lireciien oi the longitudinal arrows, i is. 1 is :1 seetaken on the line 4--4 anal viewed in in" oii'eetion of the vertical an rows Fig. l, :1 detail seefiienzil view taken on line 5----Z 4. of the (ii'mvings.

"in the dim .4 e, the iiiiimeml 1 is used to designate any suitable form oi? e supporting' free pi'ovitle, in 'lzlie 'present ease, wih e lilma, gfieieil which plafie is preferably arranged at an inclination o tlaelzoeizonteh the s be'plate supporting or sustaining e vehieelly disposed heleler 3 eclzmte ilo com in therein, a smell: of disk blanks .irous meierinl, the said holder formed of 3 I H1 die eresenl; ease being termed by a series Sueeifieation of Letters Patent.

a transverse """YD lvTHECEiAlIl'ISWI.

ll zb'l'fifilifiii Aug. 29, 1921113..

Serial 1% 832.2%.

of spaced rods The holder 3 as illustrated providedwith. :mopen bottom plate 3, ill: disk lilimlcs conlaineel within the llOlLlCl' eemping oi iiliselmrpjinv successively tlni'mggfli the outlet 5 Lliereoi and the regis- "mg; (lieciim-gre-imj formed through the bed plate E3" The stack 01" i slat blanks L '\"l.,liin the liolllei' 3 iii sustained cliei'ein by 10, plates #3, filled Wliililll the laterally extended guia'le-wzays fOl'lDBtl in the face of the heel plum 2 so as to projeei slightly Within the sphere of the discharge-way or outlet 5--F l of the (inning; and the projeetingilmer end portion of said plates serve as a supporting ledge (ron which rests the lowermost blank oi? the stack of disk blanks-Figz 3 of the (lm'vvin The saicl plates 6 n'i-e firmly secured within-the guideweys '2" against movement and the plates 3 support in turn Joe lziieially movable slides 53 Each slide 8 Works freely within a guide-Way E9" in the upper face of the plates (3. and. iliese slides adapted to be moved williin and out oi? ilie sphere of the disciisiri'ge OlliilQl 5; the function oisaitl slides being to eoi'epress 01 slightly buckle Elie (lislz blanks {it the bottom of the steel, so to cause the lowermost one of the stack to bear but lightly onto 5 e supporting ledge p01 tion the plates 6 "in orclei' that the same may be i'eeclilj" Nlill'ldlZUWIl from Within the outlet opening will be noted by ref-- ereinee to Fig. 3 oi? the iii-ewinggs, that the inner alge 6 of each slide 8 beveled inwai'clly from the bottom eclge eliereo'f, so that pressure of the slides on the respective blanks Within the sphere thereof; when moveil im varilly, will very sliglitljz from the lowermost one of the stack, which is substantially eel: out from the steel; proper.

slide 8 ecijaeenithe outer end por-- tion thereof is formed with e vertically oblique clisposecl groove 9, within which Work iZl'IQ engulei'ly disposed cams 10, which cams project u'pwerclly from the crank arms 11 and are actuated by the rock-shaft 1.2 to which the said arms are secured. Owing to the angular disposition of the came 10, the same as thrown up and. down by the movement of slide; 8 Emi e end out of ialie sphere of the outlei opening 5 for the eiselmrge of the lielcl disk blanks.

The roekelmi'i is eomieeterl "by a ale the crank arms 11 serve to move the 11 at predeter 'nined moments.

crank a rm pending link 13 to a fulcrnmed lever 14 by means of the pitman 15, the said lever 14rbeing'fulcrumed to the frame 1 and. carrying at its lower end a roll 16 which works within the grooverl of an eccentric cam 18. This cam is secl'ii'ed to the drive shaft 19 and by means of the. described connections imparts motion to the rock-shatt- 12 for the purpose of raising and lowering the arms The said also connected by a link 20 to a 21 projectingt'rom one end of a rock-shaft 22.'workmg in suitable bearing of the bed 2 ot'l'he frame 1-F1gs.i. 2 and 4 of the-drawings. This rock-shaft 22 1s lever 1- is provided with a central bore '23, closed by a the oscillatory movement of the rock-shaft 22, and the said shaft substantially centrally thereof is provided with an air port (I. This port communicates with a corresponding port in the hub 26 of: a hollow suction arm 27, which hub 26 is secured by a key .28 to the rock-shaft At its outer or tree end the hollow arm 27 is provided with a slotted head 2!), which head. when the suction arm 27 is thrown upwardly its full distance is brought into contact with the exposed under t'ace oi the lowermost disk blank 4 ot'the stack of sustained disk blanks within the holder \Vhcn the suction arm stands in its full raised position, the ports 0 and c are in registry and the air suction is opened, so that with the downward movement or throw of the said a rm the adhering lowermost disk blank -15 of the stack of blanks is witlulrawn and carried downwardly until in alinement with the'chuteor runway 30, the said blank being removed from the sucker arm as carried downwardly by the stripper plate 81, the suction at such time having been destroyed by therock-shatt 22 being so turned as to move the port 0 thereof out of registry with the/port 0'. The disk blank falls from the chute. 30 into the seat 32, between the opposing face of the coiiperating cutting instrumentalities 33-3-t, the position of which is illustrated by Fig. 1 of the drawings. Inasmuch as the said cutting instrumcntalitics for severing from the disk blank an annulus or ring liner and the mechanism for actuating the same form no portion of the present invention, detailed description thereof need not be set forth herein.

Assuming the holder to have been filled. with a stack of disk blanks supported there in by the bottom plates 6, the operation of the feed mechanism for the successive removal of the said blanks may be briefly described as follows:Daring the movement of the rock-shaft .22 to throw upwardly the suction arm 27 and place the ports 0 and c in registry. the rock-shaft 12 is actuated through the described inter-connected parts to raise the crank arms 11 and force the cams 10 upwardly withinthe grdoves 9 of the slides 8. This movement of the said cams forces inwardly the slides 8, the inner ends thereof engaging with and exerting pressure against the edges of the disk blanks situated within the discharge outlet 5 causes a buckling thereof to such an extent as to concave the lowermost blank of the'stack until it is held substantially by frictional engagement only with the inner end of theplates 6, the weight of the stack of blanks, excepting the lowermost orie thereof. being at such time sustained by the end portion of the slides projected within the sphere of the outlet opening 5. By this time the head of the sucker arm 27 will bear firmly against the under face of the lowermost partly released disk blank of the stack of disk blanks within the holder, with the air suction fully opened, so that when through the rotary movement of the eccentric cam 18 and the action of its described associated. parts, the sucker arm is forced downward for return to normal position, the said blank adheres firmly to the head thereof, and is withdrawnfrom the stack of disks and brought into position directly over the chute 30. I As the arm 27 approaches the limit of its down stroke, the rock-shaft 22 is' moved to shift the port 0 out of registry with the port 0, thus destroying or breaking thc'air suction, so that as the blank is brought against the stripper plate 31, the same -is removed from the head 29 of the sucker arm and falling into the chute 30 is delivered into the seat 32 between the opposing faces of the co-acting cutting instrumentalities 33 and 3*. It will be understood that during this return stroke of the sucker arm, the rock-shaft 12 is given a reversemovement-dos part rotation the crank arms 11 to don-'nwardly throw the angular-1y disposed cams 10, so as to force outwardly the slide. 8 and gradually release the disk blank held thereby. The actions of the respective parts are so timed relative to each other, that they come into action at the proper times for the carrying out of the describedsteps, the said parts-being automatically placed into operation. By the described means the blank disks are positively and successively removed from within the holder by pneumatic means, and deto that previously described and actuates livered thereby into the chute or runwav for convey ng the same to a suitable place of deposit.

\Vhile l have described and illustrated the improved feed mechanism as embodied in a practical apparatus for the delivery of disk blanks to means for the cutting of ring liners therefrom and thereby disclosing the preferred en'ibodiment of the invention, still, it is not my wish to be understood as limiting or confining' the invention to the detailed arrangement of the working parts as so illustrated and described, being well aware that changes and modifications in the associated working parts may be made without creating a departure from the nature and scope of the present invention, and by the expression disk blanks as herein employed, I wish to be understood as meaning any shape of blank which may be employed in connection with the holder therefor.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be pro tected by Letters Patent is:

1. A feed mechanism for disk blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of disk blanks, horizontally reciprocating means for separating the lowermost disk blank of the series of disk blanks contained within the holder, air suction meansfor removing the lowermost separated disk blank of the stack of disk blanks and conveying the same into position for discharge, means for breaking the air suction on the disk blank being brought into position for discharge, and associated instrumentalities for actuating the said respective means,

2. A feed mechanisn'i fordisk blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stiick of disk blanks, horizontally reciprocating devices for successively separating blanks from the bottom of the stack, mechanism for actuating the same, and air controlled means associated with said devices for removing the separated lowermost blank and conveying the same into position for discharge and devices for making and breaking the air suction in accordance with the movement thereof.

3. A feed mechanism for disk blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of disk blanks, slide devices for buckling'thc blanks within the bottom po rtion of the holder, a sucker arm for removing the lowermost blank of the stack of blanks, a part tubular rock shaft for actuating said arm, air connections with said shaft, and mechanism for imparting movement to the mentioned slides and operating the rockshaft for opening and closing the air con nection with the sucker arm.v

4. A feed mechanism for diskblanks, the same comprising a suitable holder adapted to contain a stack of blanks, devices associated with the holder for buckling a plu rality of the blanks at the bottom thereof, suction means for successively removing the blanks from the bottom of the holder, air connections associated therewith, and meclr anism for actuating the suction means for opening and closing the air connections. i

5. A feed mechanism for disk blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to con tain a stack of disk blanks, devices for sepa: rating the lowermost disk blank from the stack of disk blanks and controlling the discharge outlet "for the holder, and air con trolled devices cooperating therewith for removing from said outlet the lowermost sepa rated blank of the'stack of blanks and conveying the same into position for discharge. (5. A feed mechanism for disk blanks, the same comprising a suitable frame, a holder adapted to contain a stack of blanks supported thereon, horizontally reciprocating slide means co-izcting with the bottom portion of the holder .tor controlling the re moval of blanks therefrom and separating the lowermost blank from the series of blanks, devices for actuating said means, a sucker arm for successively removing the separated blank from the series of blanks contained within the holder and conveying the same into position for discharge, a rockshaft carrying said arm, air connections between said arm through the roclcshatt with the suction means, and mechanism for operating said shaft to throw the sucker arm tor making and breaking the said air con.-

nections.

7. A feed mechanism for disk blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of blanks, reciprocating devices for separating the lowermost blank from the series of blanks within the holder, suction means associated with the said devices for removing the lowermost separated blank from the stack within the holder, and mechanism for actuating said means for removing the separated blank to discharging position.

8. A feed mechanism for disk. blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of blanks, reciprocating devices for separating the lowermost blank from the series of blanks contained within the holder, suction means associated with the said devices for removing the lowermost blank from the stack within the holder and placing the same into position for discharge, mechanism for actuating said means, and a stripper device for releasing the removed blank from the suction means.

9. A feed mechanism "for disk blanks, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of disk blanks, reciprocating devices for buckling the blanks within the bottom portion of the holder and separating -&. v 1 1,196,676

separated blank of the series of blanks,- a

part tubular rook-shaft fort) actuating said arm, air connectlons \yithln said shaft, and mechanlsm for operating thelrock-shaft for openin and closing the air connection with the suc er arm.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 10 two subscribin witnesses.

JAMES A. GRAY. Witnesses I. DHTI'IORNBURGH,

V B. RICHARDS. 

